The Riddle
by Senator of Sorcery
Summary: There is a shadow at Hogwarts, one that is causing problems. But the Shadow has a real name. Lilith Riddle. But she's just as much of a riddle to herself as to others. But every riddle has a key: and the key to Lilith lies in the hands of two people: Lilith's sister, Cassandra, and the D.A.D.A. teacher, Harry Potter. The big problem is will Lilith survive to solve her riddle?
1. Chapter 1 Captured

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Captured**

** One dark night in early September,** the Potter House was quiet. The two boys, James and Albus, four and two respectively, were sound asleep in the room across the hall from their parents. Harry and Ginny were sleeping lightly, ready to awake at the first sound of a cry. In the basinet at the end of the bed, their little daughter slept with her thumb in her mouth.

But all was not well.

Outside the house, a slender figure crept slowly towards the front porch. Her lips moved soundlessly, the wand in her hand emitting little wisps and whorls of black light. The blackness gathered around her, giving her a shimmering aura, hiding her from the wards that protected the house.

She mounted the porch, wincing slightly when the wooden floorboards creaked. She reached out to grasp the brass door handle. It turned easily it her hand and the door swung inward. She sighed, and a tear slipped from her eye.

She stepped into the house, into a large entrance hall. She crossed the room, quickly, her footsteps echoing slightly, to a grand staircase that lead to the upper floors. She walked up the stairs, her ears pricked and her guard up. She could hear light snores, coming from her left. She followed the sound. She located the origin, and opened the door slightly. There they were, Potter and his wife. Sleeping, with no idea of the coming tragedy.

She slipped inside, and tiptoed towards the basinet. The baby looked so innocent, with her short red curls and her dreamy smile. A mobile dangled in mid air, hippogriffs, griffins, and flowers. A blanket, clearly hand knitted, was draped over the baby, and the child clutched a stuffed owl in her arms.

The woman glanced at Potter; to be absolutely sure he was still asleep. Then she reached inside the basinet, and lifted the child up. The baby fidgeted, and yawned, but stayed asleep. She dropped the owl back into the basinet, wrapped the baby in the blanket, and turned to leave. She paused at the door, then turned back, grabbed the owl and the mobile, stuffed them into her pocket, and waved her wand. A piece of parchment flashed into the air, and dropped into the basinet. The baby wrapped her tiny fingers around the woman's cloak, and babbled softly. The woman looked down at the child, a second tear slipped from her eye and splashed onto the baby's face. The woman squeezed her eyes shut, and then left the room. She walked slowly down the hallway to the stairs, placing her feet carefully so as jostle the child as little as possible.

Down the stairs, and through the entrance hall. As the woman was reaching out to open the door to leave, her foot slipped on a stuffed animal, she stumbled, and the baby awoke with a cry of surprise. The woman's heart stopped, she heard a roar of rage, and the pounding of feet. The baby looked up at her in confusion, and started to cry. Fear and adrenaline sped the woman out the door, holding tight to the baby, and over the grounds. At the edge of the wards, she turned to see Potter sprinting across the grounds, with his wife on his heel. If the situation had not been so dangerous, she would have thought the sight of Potter in his boxers amusing. The woman gave him an apologetic smile, then, just as he was about to reach her, she closed her eyes, one of her fingers leaving the warm bundle in her arms, and caressing the underside of her left wrist, and her body dissipated, turning to smoke. The smoke floated away, carried by the wind. Away, out of sight.

** Harry ran right through the intruder.** Mouth open, he stared in shock as she turned to smoke, and vanished. He tried to grab the smoke, yelling in rage as it slipped through his fingers. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and his vision was tinted red. He did not notice nor did he care about the cold air stinging his bare chest, only that his newborn daughter had just been kidnapped. He yelled and raged and stormed, but he knew in his heart there was nothing he could do.

After a while the adrenaline faded, and he felt weak and shaky. He dropped to his knees at the edge of his property, trembling in the cold.

Ginny stopped beside him. Her cheeks were flushed red and stained with tears. She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him up.

"We have to find her," she said. Her voice cracked.

"She's gone, Ginny, there's nothing we can do."

"We have to do something!"

"We'll Floo the Ministry. They'll find her."

"We can't- I can't," Ginny's words faltered. Harry pulled her close to him, holding her tight while she began to sob. She was shaking more than he was. It was not good for her to be out in the cold, so soon after giving birth. Harry slipped an arm under her knees, and carried her, still crying back to the house.

James and Albus stood on the porch, in their pajamas. Albus was sucking his thumb, and James was holding his toy dragon, his hair sticking up in all directions.

"What's the matter with Mummy?" James asked.

Albus pulled his thumb out of his mouth to say, "Where Baby?"

Harry gulped. "Go back inside, boys. You should be asleep."

"Where Baby?" Albus said again.

"She's fine," Harry said, trying hard to keep his voice from cracking. Albus seemed to have accepted this, because he stuck his thumb back in his mouth, and walked inside. James reached out for his mother's hand. Harry set Ginny down, and she pulled James into a hug.

"I want the boys to stay with us tonight," Ginny said. Harry nodded, murmuring "of course." Ginny took James' hand and led him inside. Harry looked back at the grounds, his heart heavy. Then he followed his wife inside.

Back in his bedroom, Ginny was asleep again, clutching her two sons to her. Harry stood at the basinet, tears clouding his vision. That baby girl was only a few weeks old. Sweet and soft and precious to him. He had already contacted the Ministry, and they had emptied out the Auror office to search for his daughter.

Harry reached down the touch the soft lining of the basinet. His hand brushed against paper. He picked it up, and, glancing at his wife and sons, walked over to the desk in the corner. He switched on the lamp and sat down to read it.

_"_Potter,

By now you have noticed the absence of your daughter. I write this so that you will not worry about her safety. I know you are out-raged with me, and are ready to storm the world in search of your child. But know this: I have taken your child in the hopes that less will die.

I know you have called your precious Aurors to try to find us. Call them off. The child's disappearance must go undocumented, or the girl, myself, and several other innocents will die. I want as much as you to prevent the deaths of so many, but if you attempt to rescue your child, they will die and there will be nothing you can do to stop it. I myself will be forced to drown the child, and to slit my own throat.

This is his plan: When you next see your child, she will not know you. She will hate you. Fear not, though. When she does die, she will die knowing the truth.

The child will grow up safe, I promise. I am risking a lot to write this message: but I want you to know that I am sorry. I wish it hadn't come to this.

She is his now_."_

**The puff of smoke that had left the Potter House** grounds traveled quickly over the land, towards a ring of mountains in the distance. The smoke passed over the rocks and trees, over the castle that had been hidden by the mountains and magic. In the castle, through the corridors, and down through the stone dungeons the smoke went. Finally, it gathered in a large cavern, deep beneath the castle. Water surrounded stone walkways. The air was crisp and cold. At the end of the chamber, a statue, thirty feet high, stood proud and erect. The stone face was young, and filled with cold indifference.

The smoke condensed into the figure of the woman. The baby had stopped crying, and was whimpering softly.

"Hush now, little one," the woman whispered. "You are safe now. I have rescued you from the enemy."

The baby sniffed, and opened her mouth wide to let out a wail.

"No! Don't cry, child, don't cry! Cassandra will care for you," the woman started bouncing the baby in her arms. The little girl calmed, stifling her cries, but tears continued to trickle from her hazel eyes.

Cassandra started walking, the same careful slow walk she had used when leaving Potter's bedroom. She walked down the walkway, her steps echoing in the large stone chamber.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets," she said. "We are underneath the great Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will learn to walk in these corridors; you will learn to read by ancient tomes full of strong magic. You'll love it here."

The baby, tears still leaking from her eyes, babbled something in baby talk.

"You won't remember your time with Potter, child. You'll only remember me. I'm your sister now. You and I are sisters. Our parents died recently. Our mum died last. Her last act was to hide us in the Chamber of Secrets, where Potter and his Aurors will never look."

Cassandra halted, looking up at the statue.

"This is Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four, our ancestor, little one. You are truly lucky to be here."

She looked down at the baby, who was staring up at Slytherin's stone face, afraid and awed.

"That is the way you should look at him, child," Cassandra said, nodding.

Then a ghost entered the chamber, floating through the statues stone feet. Cassandra stiffened at the sight of him, and stepped back.

"You have the child," the ghost said. His voice was high, hissing, unnatural and cold.

"Yes, I have her."

"Good, good," the ghost floated forward, his eyes fixed on the baby. The baby girl started to whimper again, then as the ghost drew nearer, to cry.

"Ahh, shut it up!" the ghost hissed, clapping his transparent hands of his ears. Cassandra started bouncing the baby again. She kept crying.

"Make it stop!" the ghost yelled in anger. The baby cried harder, louder.

"Hush, little one!" Cassandra whispered. "You do not want to make him angry!"

The baby cried on.

The ghost glared the baby, and then clapped his hands together. A ringing silence stole over the chamber. The baby stopped crying immediately, and grabbed a tiny fistful of Cassandra's cloak, looking at the ghost in fear.

"Master, I think it would be best for you to stay away from the child while she is so young," Cassandra said, looking at the floor.

The ghost drew his lips into a sneer, but turned and floated away.

"You will learn to keep your tongue in your mouth around the Master," Cassandra said to the baby. "He deserves your respect and reverence. And your fear."

The baby pressed her face into Cassandra's cloak. Cassandra smiled.

"There, see? I'm your protector now."

Cassandra turned away from the statue, and walked towards the nearby wall. She reached out and grasped something, and pulled on it. It was a door, camouflaged to match the stone walls. Cassandra stepped through the doorway, and pulled the door shut behind her.

Waving her wand, Cassandra lit the torches in the room. She crossed the room to a fireplace, and lit a fire in the grate. She opened another door, stepped through it, and shut the door. She lit a candle, and then turned to a basinet at the foot of her bed. She laid the baby in it, and pulled the stuffed owl and the mobile out of her pocket. She gave the baby the owl, and then hung the mobile above her with a wave of her wand.

"Welcome home, Lilith Riddle," Cassandra said.


	2. Chapter 2 Thirteen Years Later

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Fourteen Years Later**

**"Lilith? Lilith, wake up,"** Cassandra kneeled at a bedside, in a room lit by a fireplace burning blood red flames. Dark wood furniture graced the room: a wardrobe, with matching dresser, low bed, and night table. The bed drew the eye; the dark almost black headboard was carved with a snake, inlaid with green stones. On the bed, lay a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen. Her long red hair was tangled, twisting around her neck and shoulders. A long silver nightgown covered her, riding up her legs as the girl tossed and turned, and the sheets and blankets trapped her feet and ankles. She jerked in her sleep, groaning and moaning in a language Cassandra could not understand. Images flashed through the girl's mind, while Cassandra eavesdropped. A tombstone, a statue, a pair of round glasses. A wilting flower, a roaring lion and a hissing snake, two voices calling her name. Cassandra frowned, and pulled her wand from the pocket of her black robes.

"Obliviate," she murmured. The images continued. A lake rippling with the night wind. A coat-of-arms: a griffin, holding a flaming sword in one talon and a vine of honeysuckle in the other. A moving photograph of three boys, and a girl, who was lying across their arms. The boys smiled and the one on the far left winked, and the girl blew a kiss to the camera and another to the boy holding her knees. The others laughed and the one in the middle blushed as the photograph vanished from her mind. A field of wildflowers. The same girl running through the field with the three boys chasing her. Then, an image of an older man holding on to her, laughing as the girl stuck her tongue out him, and then she gagged as he put something on her tongue. Things that could have been, unfulfilled prophecies.

"Obliviate," Cassandra repeated more fiercely. The images speeded up; flashing by so quickly, Cassandra could not tell if they were memories or dreams of a future that had been dashed.

Lilith had fallen sick after her thirteenth birthday, falling prey to nightmares that forced her to stay in bed due to weakness. Lilith contracted a fever in the middle of September, and over the last month, it increased to levels Cassandra had never seen. She feared that Lilith's mind would be lost, so she did her best to destroy the invading dreams.

Cassandra sighed in frustration. She rubbed her temples, and stared down at the girl. Lilith let out a scream, Cassandra placed her hand on her forehead, but jerked her hand back immediately, surprised at the heat emanating from Lilith. Her fever had gotten worse, much worse. Quickly, Cassandra conjured a wet rag, and laid it on Lilith's forehead. Lilith screamed again, her face twisted with fear.

"Lilith, wake up!" Cassandra shouted over the scream, shaking her shoulder. Lilith pushed her away, still screaming. The sound of shattering glass brought Cassandra's attention to the full-length mirror by the wardrobe. Broken glass covered the ground. Glancing at Lilith, she stood, and pointed her wand at the glass. It flew upward, back into place, and the mirror stood there, looking brand new. Lilith's scream stopped abruptly. Cassandra looked down at her, eyes wide, as the girl froze. Lilith exhaled slowly. But Cassandra tensed. The last time Lilith froze mid-scream had not been pretty.

Lilith's breath glowed white. The smoke curled through the air, forming images in the air as Cassandra backed away. She collided with the wall, as Lilith shrieked again, a shriek that would have impressed a banshee. Cassandra clapped her hands over her ears as her eardrums rattled. As Lilith's mouth stretched wide with the cry, the white smoke curled into words over Lilith's body. Words Cassandra had seen before in Lilith's dreams. 'Hoc munita filiolam astra. Lilii est opus Leonis.' Then, the smoke dissipated, and Lilith fell silent. Cassandra lowered her hands, and approached the girl. Her chest heaved; she wrapped her arms around herself and trembled. Cassandra touched her finger to Lilith's closed eyelid. Her mind was blank, with no traces of the nightmares that had terrorized Lilith the past two months.

It had stopped fighting.

Cassandra sighed with relief. Then she noticed tears leaking from the corner's of Lilith's eyes.

"Lilith?" Cassandra shook her shoulder gently.

Lilith groaned and sat up. She stared around the room as if not recognizing it, and then her eyes focused on Cassandra. She blinked, and rubbed her fists in her eyes.

"Where am I?" Lilith asked in a quavering voice.

"In your room."

"What time is it?"

Cassandra glanced over a clock on the wall. The face read 3:26.

"About half past three in the morning."

Lilith deflated. "I went out again, didn't I?"

"Just after dinner last night," Cassandra said.

"How bad was it this time?"

"Bad," Cassandra said, eyebrows raised. "But, I think I've stopped it. I managed to erase your memories of the nightmares, so they shouldn't come back."

Lilith nodded wearily. "So, I can leave?"

"If you want. Just wait a little while, get some rest. And when you go, don't stray too far. And tell me where you're going." Cassandra left the room and Lilith slipped off the bed. She looked around the room again.

She took comfort in the familiar setting. Pushed up against the wall directly across from the bed, a long low dresser made of the same black wood as the headboard was her dresser. Next to it was her wardrobe. Lilith opened the wardrobe door, and riffled through the robes and dresses that hung there. She pulled out a long black skirt, and laid it on the bed. She turned to the dresser, and pulled out a long sleeved black shirt embroidered with a rose bush.

Lilith pulled her nightgown over her head and tugged on the shirt. She pulled on the skirt, and walked to the mirror. She twirled, letting the skirt flare, and remembered that this skirt had crinolines to go with it. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of wearing crinolines, and then turned her attention to her hair.

It looked like a rat's nest. Sighing, she grabbed a hairbrush from the dresser, and started attacking her hair. After ten minutes of painful hacking, she tamed her hair into looking frizzy and somewhat curly. Lilith assumed there were more tangles in her hair, but right now, she did not want to continue attacking it. Her scalp hurt quite a lot. She ran her hand through her hair, shifting her fingers whenever they snagged, studying the mirror. Markings lined the frame, which was made of a metal she could not indentify. The markings fascinated her. She supposed they were written in some long forgotten language that ancient witches used for incantations, but whenever she repeated the words to herself, they did nothing. Lilith ran her hand along the words.

"Erised," she murmured. "What does it mean?" Then, feeling a little foolish, she read the words aloud again. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." Nothing happened.

She placed the brush on the dresser, and went to the night table. On the glistening polished surface, sat a white mask. No decorations, no frou-frou, just a plastic mask with fabric stretched over it. Lilith picked it up, and walked to the door. She considered putting on shoes, but abandoned the thought quickly. Shoes were over-rated.

On impulse, she glanced back the mirror. It stood there innocently, as if it had never ever frustrated her beyond belief. She lifted a cloak off a hook by her door, and threw it over her shoulders. Walking back to the mirror, she reached out and ran a hand along the inscription. Then, in the mirror, standing right behind her, she saw a tall black haired man, smiling warmly. Spinning around, she scanned the room. She was alone. Shaking away the image, Lilith slipped on her mask, and left her room. She crept through the sitting room, glancing at the door to Cassandra's room as she passed. Technically, she was supposed to ask permission before she left their home, but she'd stopped asking months ago. Cassandra always said yes, anyway.

Outside her door, the vast expanse of the Chamber of Secrets stretched before her. She glanced back; her door was camouflaged to look like the rock wall beside it. Lilith stepped out; the stone was cold beneath her feet, and wet. Lilith glanced around. Cassandra was not anywhere in sight. She walked to the main path, her eyes traveling through the murky green waterways lining the stone sidewalk. Lilith raised her head and breathed deeply. The smell of the wet stones and icy water filled her, lifting her spirits, and chasing away her worries. A smile cracked her lips, and she broke into a run. Her bare feet slapped against the stone, making the skin sting, and the sound echoed through the chamber. Lilith reveled in the freedom of it.

Lilith ran into the tunnel between the Chamber and the always out of order bathroom, which held the entrance to the Chamber, and crept up the slide into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ignoring Myrtle's louder than normal moaning, Lilith slipped out of it and into the castle school of Hogwarts. She'd grown up in the school as much as in the Chamber, so she knew every nook and cranny of Hogwarts. From the dungeons to the tallest tower, every bit was her territory. Stopping at the bathroom door, she turned, her eyes sweeping over the bathroom. She thought she heard someone, but there was no one there.

She raised her hood and glanced in a mirror. She was skinny due to her constant bed-ridden state, and the annoying fact that she threw up whatever she ate, but no matter, she was still strong. Lilith frowned at her reflection. Something was missing, or out of place. An image flashed into her mind, more of a feeling, of a lithe woman, wearing a warm smile. On impulse, she smiled at the mirror. With the smile on her face, she seemed fine. Then she whipped around and strode out of the bathroom. Time to're-mark' her territory.

Normally, when the school was open, she didn't venture out as much. Because Argus Filch, the wizened old caretaker, was always out looking for students out of bed and she looked like a student to him, even though she wasn't. Walking aimlessly along a corridor, Lilith ran a hand along the wall, enjoying the feel of the cold, rough stone beneath her fingers.

"… stupid Filch."

Lilith froze.

"Stupid Filch with his stupid memory and stupid cat!" A boy, maybe sixteen, rounded the corner ten yards from her. He did not notice her, as he was focusing on his feet as he kicked along what looked like a marble.

Lilith glanced around. There was nothing she could hide behind, and- just her luck- she'd forgotten her wand. She backed away, ready to run away, in case he saw her.

Again, her luck failed her.

"Hey you!"

"Aw, bloody hell," she muttered. She started to run, but the boy had his wand, and threw a jinx at her. She felt her body slow as if trying to run through gelatin, then stop, her foot raised to catch her.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he called, walking up behind her.

"Why are you?" she countered, as he walked in front of her. She felt completely ludicrous, standing mid leap in front of this boy. Her eyes locked onto his. All of a sudden, a sense of familiarity hit her, as if this boy was a good friend she'd had as a child, but had long-forgotten him.

"I am a prefect," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as if being a prefect made him king of the universe.

Lilith snorted. The sense of familiarity vanished.

"Anyway, I asked you a question, what are you doing out of bed this late?"

She frowned, thinking of a snarky reply to give him. "And how late is it, by chance?"

He seemed startled. As he glanced at his watch, she felt the charm beginning to wear off.

"Half past three," he answered.

"A.m. or p.m.?"

"A.m.," he said, looking at like she was crazy.

Lilith nodded slowly, as if this news was vital to her existence. She was playing for time. She could feel her legs starting to tingle, signaling that the charm was wearing off.

"And if I told you that I'm out because I'm headed back from the Hospital Wing, what would you do?"

"I'd have to escort you back to your house common room," he said, glancing at her cloak. She did too, and realized with a sinking feeling that her cloak had the Gryffindor crest on it.

"So why did you have to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"I, uh, I had a bad headache." Partial truth. She normally woke up with pounding headaches after each nightmare. Fortunately, tonight she didn't.

"Madam Pomfrey fix you up?"

"Yes."

"Then I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. "

"But-"

"Come along," the prefect grabbed her arm, and started dragging her back up the corridor, towards the staircase to Gryffindor Tower.

Silently cursing herself and whoever managed her luck gauge, Lilith went limply, as the prefect led her up to a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. The woman was snoring softly, but the prefect snapped his fingers under her nose.

"What- who-"

"Fairy stones," he said, and the woman glared at him for a minute, then, the picture swung forward, revealing a doorway behind it.

"Go on," said the prefect, "and don't stay up too late."

Lilith followed the Fat Lady's lead and glared at him. He gave her a little push, and she stumbled through the doorway. The painting swung shut.

Grumbling under her breath, she stomped towards the center of the common room, not paying any attention to the decorations or furniture, other than noting that a set of couches and armchairs sat in front of a fireplace.

Suddenly, she felt very tired, and those couches looked very appealing. Walking over to them, she yawned. Lilith sank into one of the couches and relaxed in the warm glow of the fire. She did not notice that she wasn't alone.

"Hello."

Lilith jumped and saw a boy sitting in one of the armchairs next to her, "Uh, hi." He looked as if he had just woken from a fitful daze.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't in Gryffindor," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Lilith was startled. She had never had someone talk like that to her before.

"l beg your pardon?" she stammered.

"Who are you?" he asked, leaning forward to frown at her.

"Who are _you_?" she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Jack Longbottom."

"Longbottom?" she scoffed, "I apologize, I have to leave before someone else sees me."

"Excuse me?"

"I'd rather not been seen in the Gryffindor common room, let alone with a Longbottom," she stood up and began to storm off, but Longbottom jumped up too, and grabbed her arm.

"And that's supposed to mean what?" his tone sounded casual, but there was an underlying hint of anger.

"The Longbottom family is great bunch of blood traitors. Muggle lovers, supporters of Harry Potter," she snapped.

"What's the matter with that?" Now he sounded confused.

"The matter is that he supported Muggle lovers and filth," she scoffed. "He stopped the Dark Lord from putting purebloods in charge, and 'saved' the filthy Muggles."

"So? Voldemort wanted to kill everyone."

"No he didn't! He was a genius-"

"And a murderer. Why are we arguing over that? That was years ago. Why am I arguing with you at all?"

"Potter is just as much a murderer as you claim the Dark Lord to be," she snapped.

"No he's not."

"He killed the Death Eaters-" but just as she opened her mouth again to tell him off for praising Potter, Longbottom leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She shoved him away, her fingers going to her mouth, her mind frozen in shock.

"What was that for?" Lilith chided, a little light headed from the kiss and from the surge of feelings that he had initiated by kissing her. A vague feeling of delight rose up in her, before she swept it away to make room for suspicion.

"Sorry, my brother told me it was the best way to shut a girl up." He grinned crookedly at her, making her heart speed up a bit, then his expression became serious. "And you definitely needed shutting up. You sound like you're insane, babbling about pureblood's and-" Lily repeated his action kissed him, and found it _was_ a very good way to shut a boy up. But her courage only lasted for a small peck. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she pulled back, leaving Longbottom looking slightly startled.

"Seriously?" he said, now looking annoyed.

"I'm told it's the best way to shut a boy up," she said smugly.

He grinned again and let go of her arm.

"All right, you win. Enough of that. Now that we're done kissing and debating, I think I ought to know your name. So, what is it?"

"Lilith," she said, feeling annoyed still, but a little curious.

"Lilith what?"

"Riddle."

"So, Lilith Riddle, why are you in here?"

"Some idiot prefect caught me in the corridors, and since I'm wearing a Gryffindor cloak, he assumed that I was in Gryffindor, and carted me off here."

"Did this idiot prefect happen to be in Gryffindor?"

"Well, I assume so, as he knew your password, unless you tell all the prefects the password," Lilith said, taking her turn to look at him as if he was the nutter.

"Must have been Al then," he said, shaking his head. "So if you're not a Gryffindor, what house are you in?"

Lilith pursed her lips, considering him. Half of her wanted to tell him she wasn't a student, the other half wanted to walk away. She decided on middle ground.

"It's complicated."

"Okay," Longbottom replied, raising an eyebrow. Then he frowned again. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"It's complicated," she insisted.

"Okay, okay," he raised his hands up, "Just curious."

"Why?"

"Sorry?"

"Why are you curious?"

Longbottom shrugged. "No reason, really. It's not often a pretty girl wanders into my common room by accident," he said, grinning again.

Feeling very awkward, Lilith cleared her throat, and looked away.

"I haven't seen you before in school," he said, "Why haven't you been in classes?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"I'm just-"

"Curious, yeah, you already said that," Lilith growled, turning away from him to glare at the back of the Fat Lady's painting. She wondered whether that prefect was still around, and if she could get out without the idiot Longbottom stopping her.

"Well, you can't blame me," he said, crossing in front of her again. "A random girl gets shoved in the common room in the middle of the night saying she isn't a Gryffindor student? That's a curious story."

"What are you, a reporter?" she snapped, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sort of, I'm editor of the school newspaper."

"Oh, joy, are you going to write me up?" Lilith asked dryly.

"Maybe," he grinned at her again. Lilith scoffed. She pushed past him, heading for the painting. Longbottom stepped ahead of her, hands held out to stop her.

"Just one teensy interview?" Longbottom said.

Lilith glared at him. He clasped his hands in front of him, and stuck out him bottom lip. Lilith felt the urge to laugh, but stifled it.

"Fine, but you'd better not mention my name!"

"Yes!" Longbottom pumped his fists, and pulled out his wand. He conjured a pad of paper and a quill, and gestured to the coach. She stayed where she was. He shrugged, and began.

"So what year are you in?"

Lilith considered the question. Technically, she was thirteen, which made her a third year, but Cassandra was teaching her fifth year curriculum. Middle ground again? Nah.

"Fifth."

"House?"

Again, she hesitated. If she told him she was a Slytherin, which she technically was, he'd throw her out of Gryffindor Tower. Then she could be caught again by Filch or another prefect. Middle ground? Here, that was necessary.

"Ravenclaw."

He jotted it down.

"Why are you wearing a Gryffindor cloak then?"

"I got it mixed up with a friend of mine," she lied quickly.

"Okay," he looked like he doubted her answer, but scribbled on his parchment again. "And why were you ought so late?"

"No comment."

He shook his head with a wry smile. "I hate that answer."

"No comment."

"Favorite subject?"

"Why exactly are you interviewing me in the first place?"

He pursed his lips, looking as if he was seriously pondering this. "Dunno, just thought I could use practice interviewing a body."

"Right," Lilith sighed, glanced around. Her eyes found a clock, and she gasped. It was almost four o'clock in the morning.

"Bloody hell," Lilith growled. "I have to go." She jumped up, and started toward to the exit.

"Hey, hey, hey," Longbottom followed her, grabbing her arm. "Slow down, girl. Let me finish the interview."

"I can't, I'm sorry," she said, pulling her arm away. "I have to go. If my sis- my roommate catches me out late, she'll report me to our head of house!"

"Fine, but at meet me to finish the interview tomorrow."

"Where?"

"Seventh floor, by the tapestry of that old nutter teaching trolls to do the ballet. Midnight."

"I- I'll think about it," Lilith promised rashly, and then ran through the doorway.

Her feet carried her through the corridors without her really thinking about where she was going. At the door to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, however, she stopped, hesitating. Her stomach was complaining loudly.

Deciding she wanted food more than she wanted to stay out of trouble, she turned, and headed for the kitchens. She stayed to the shadows, hiding behind statues and suits of armor every time a teacher or a prefect passed, which, fortunately for her, did not happen very often. Once she reached the kitchens, she tickled the pear painting, and slipped inside. The house-elves were friendly to her, and even before she told them what she wanted to eat, they brought her a steaming bowl of creamy onion soup, and a mug of black coffee. Which was what she normally asked for.

Thanking them, Lilith weaved her way through the tables and the sea of elves towards the left wall, where a large fireplace crackled merrily, just a stone's through from the entrance. She sat down on a little stool by the fireplace, and started on her soup. Most of the house-elves did not approach her, but around the time she finished her soup, the painting opened and another elf climbed in. This would not strike her as odd, but the minute he entered, he saw her, and his jaw dropped. Lilith cocked her head, studying him. Then, it happened again, that strange sense of familiarity. She couldn't recognize the elf, and his appearance was remarkable enough that she would remember him. The elf cocked his head as well, his tennis ball sized green eyes studying her face. He looked shocked. Lilith shook her head, and pushed it away. She sipped at her coffee, enjoying the rich and bitter taste on her tongue. When she looked up, the house-elf was talking to one of the others. Just then, voices rang through the kitchen. Lilith almost dropped her coffee mug.

"Hugo, I really don't get why we had to come in the middle of the night! Why couldn't we do it AFTER the sun rose?" A girl's voice, whiny and slightly slurred.

"It's a Weasley tradition. Your brother did it with Rose and Albus, and now you have to do it with me." A boy this time.

"But I'm not a Weasley! And besides, we came down here last year before dawn."

The painting swung open again, and two kids, second or third years, stepped into view. Lilith gestured wildly to an elf, and told him to hide her. He looked confused, but he snapped his fingers, and she was invisible. The girl looked half-asleep, while the boy looked awake and eager for excitement, despite that one of his eyes was purple with a bruise.

"Couldn't we do it later?" she whined.

"No, Alice! It's bad enough we couldn't do it last night, but we're not going to skip it altogether."

"Well it wasn't my fault your sister blacked your eye," Alice snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "You shouldn't have called her a sissy!"

"She was being stupid," said the boy as if that explained everything. "Mooning over that Malfoy boy."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Did you know that all boys, from birth to death, are jerks?"

"I figured. Besides," he grinned at the girl, "that's why you love us."

"Hugo, what exactly do we have to do?"

"Nothing, really, just get proof we were here. Rose suggested one of Dobby's socks," Hugo said.

"But we did that last year!"

"Well, Rose couldn't think of anything else. She, Al, and your brother already did the cool stuff."

"They always get the cool stuff," Alice muttered.

Hugo cleared his throat, and glanced around. Twice, his eyes swept the room. Twice, his eyes crossed the spot where she sat, hidden beneath the house-elves magic.

"I'm hungry," he announced.

"Hugo Weasley, would you stop thinking about food, and think about how we're going to get even with Rose, Albus, and Jack?"

"Just take one of Dobby's socks. That's near impossible."

"But it's not good enough," Alice snapped. She looked around the room as well. Her eyes fell on one of the long table cluttered with food, and working elves.

"I've got it!"

"What?"

"We'll jinx the Slytherin's food!"

"Great!" Hugo said. "How?"

Alice looked at him like he was stupid. "You're hopeless."

"I know. How?"

"Well, Uncle George told me how he and Uncle Fred jinxed the Canary Creams, so we just cast the spell on their food."

"And how do we know which table has the Slytherin's food?"

"That one, idiot," Alice said, gesturing to a long table to the far left, right next to Lilith. The two made their way over to the table, pulling out their wands as they walked.

"Right, so exactly how do we turn their food into Canary Creams?"

"Like so," Alice pointed her wand at a platter of kippers. "Cibum populo canariis." The kippers glowed canary yellow, and faded to their normal color.

"Just do that."

"Alice Longbottom, you are brilliant."

_Longbottom? Wasn't 'Longbottom' the surname of the boy wanted to interview me?_

Lilith gasped as a sharp burst of pain dashed her brain, and dropped her mug, her hands flying to her head. Hugo and Alice whipped around, pointing their wands at her. Lilith realized that the charm the house-elf had placed on her had worn off. One of the house-elves, the one who had entered just before Hugo and Alice, approached her, looking worried.

"Miss, is you okay?"

"Err, I'm fine…" she stuttered.

"Is you sure?"

"Why are you wearing a mask?" Hugo said.

"None of your business, mudblood!" Lilith snapped.

"Mudblood?" he repeated.

"Hey, you leave him alone!" Alice said, advancing on her. Then, she stopped, looking confused. "Do I know you?"

Lilith hurried to her feet, and made a revolted face.

"Stay away from me, you… you freak!" she ran out of the kitchen, and didn't stop until she reached Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

_That's just wrong,_ Lilith thought, _meeting a Weasley and a Longbottom. And that house elf! Speaking when I hadn't spoken to him._

Then a nasty little voice made itself known in her head.

_"If that's wrong, then snogging Longbottom the Reporter would be wrong, too."_

_Oh, shut it. I wasn't snogging him_

_"But you want to!"_

_I said shut it!_

She sighed, pushed open the door to the bathroom, and made her back down to the Chamber.


	3. Chapter 3 A Dream

**CHAPTER THREE**

**A Dream**

**"Lilith, are you all right?"**Cassandra asked when she stumbled into her sitting room.

"Fine," she muttered and ran into her room. She slammed the door, and collapsed onto her bed, not bothering to put her nightgown back on.

_I have to pretend nothing happened. No Longbottom's talked to me, no mudbloods. No stupid house elves. No kiss. _

The nasty voice returned,_ "But kissing Longbottom felt so, so, so good! It felt like you belonged in his arms, right Lilith?"_

_No, he's a Longbottom! I've gone against everything Cassandra told me about Harry Potter and his friends, and the Longbottom's are definitely his friends._

_"And what, pray tell, did dear Cassie tell you?"_

_That Potter killed the Dark Lord! And all his supporters. And my parents._

_"Well, they were trying to kill him. What do you expect?"_

_They shouldn't have interfered. The Dark Lord had brilliant ideas; he would have changed the world for good!_

_"Would he? I don't think so."_

_Yes! He was amazing. A martyr for his cause. _

_"Have you ever met him?"_

_Um, he's dead, so no._

_"Exactly!"_

_Shut it._

_"Why should I do that?"_

_Because I don't want to talk to you!_

_"Ah, and that is a very good reason. You know, deep down; where I am; you are a very good person."_

_No, deep down where you are, I'm rotten to the core!_

_"Oh, how touching. I feel so special."_

_Shut it._

"Lilith?" Cassandra knocked on the door.

"What?" she snarled and flung the door open with a wave of her hand.

"I wanted to know if you wanted something to-"

"Does it look like I want something to eat?" she growled.

Cassandra shook her head. "Manners, Lilith."

Lilith turned her back on her sister, and punched her pillow into a more comfortable position. "Go away," she muttered.

"What's the matter?" Cassandra sighed

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong."

"If there is, I obviously don't want to tell you!" Lilith snapped.

Cassandra cocked her head, staring at her.

Lilith felt the tell-tall tug at her mind as Cassandra tried to use Legilimency. She imagined an empty room, white walls, white floor, no windows, and no doors. This was her defense. Cassandra scowled, and left the room, muttering about Lilith being too good at Occlumency.

Lilith let out her breath in a huff. Cassandra didn't trust her. She was always trying to read Lilith's mind, and Lilith hated it. It was an invasion of her privacy. Lilith grabbed a blanket from the bottom of her bed, pulling it over her. She was exhausted, and her brain felt overloaded. She fell back against her pillows and promptly fell asleep. It had been a very long night.

**_Soft music played somewhere._**_ Hippogriffs and Griffins danced in lazy circles above her head, holding flowers in their beaks. Laughter reached her ears. Lilith felt very small, and cold. She tried to reach for a blanket at her feet, but for some reason couldn't sit up. _

_"Cassandra, I need your help!" Lilith called._

_A woman appeared at her bedside. Lilith was suddenly aware of the fact that her bed had high railings on all sides. Like a crib._

_The woman smiled. But it wasn't Cassandra._

_"What's the matter?" she said. _

_"Who are you?" Lilith asked. "Where's Cassandra?"_

_"It's all right darling," the woman cooed. Lilith huffed. What was she, a baby? "Mummy's here, don't cry."_

_The woman reached down and lifted Lilith up. Lilith was startled. Mummy? But, her mother was dead. Killed by Potter and his minions._

_"Don't cry, Lily, I've got you. Mummy's got you."_

_The woman held her in her arms, rocking her gently. Lilith glanced around the room. Sunlight poured through a window, a neatly made bed, big enough for two, and two dressers decorated the room. Next to her, was a basinet._

_Lilith figured it. She was having another nightmare. _

_She squirmed in the woman's arms._

_"Let me go! I'm sick of this!" she yelled._

_"Lily, love, calm down," the woman said. She placed Lilith back in the basinet. Lilith willed herself to be herself again. And it happened. Jumping out of the crib, Lilith pointed her wand at the woman._

_"Why are you messing with my head?" she demanded. "Why are you here?"_

_"I'm your mother."_

_"My mother is dead! She died years ago!"_

_"I'm not dead." _

_"You're not my mother," Lilith growled. She pushed past the woman, and ran out of the room. She crashed into the prefect she'd met in the corridor, and fell backward onto her butt._

_"Whoa, Lils, where's the fire?" he laughed, offering a hand to help her up. _

_"Get out of my way," Lilith snapped, pushing herself up._

_"What's the matter?"_

_"Leave me _alone_!" Lilith yelled, and pushed past him. She ran through unfamiliar corridors, meeting dead ends and stairs leading upward. Finally, she reached a staircase going down. But four people stood in her way. The prefect, the woman who claimed to be Lilith's mother and two men that looked nearly identical, but for the gray hairs at one's temple and the scar on his forehead._

_"Calm down," the man with the gray hairs said. "This, right here, is just a hallucination. But we are real. We are your real family. Cassandra is lying to you!"_

_"Get out of my head!" Lilith screamed, and waved her wand. The room and the people became flat, and two-dimensional. The image rippled and vanished. She was standing on grass, looking out at a mansion. Cassandra was running towards her, clutching something to her chest. _

_"Cassandra!" Lilith called. She didn't notice. Someone, a baby, was crying. Lilith frowned. Cassandra skidded to a halt next to her, panting. She was looking back at the mansion in fear. Lilith looked back too. There was no one there._

_"Cassandra, what's going on?"_

_Her sister did not reply. Instead, Cassandra touched a finger to a spot on her wrist, and her body dissolved into smoke. The grass, the trees, the mansion, they exploded into smoke and vanished with her._

_Lilith now stood at the top of the astronomy tower, looking into the sky. Her eyes found the constellation Leo at once. Then, the stars moved, and each of the constellations became shining pictures in the sky. The lion turned to face her._

_"You must face your fear," it said. "Face your life, see the lies. You are you, and you are not you."_

_"What the hell does that mean?" Lilith yelled._

_"Hoc munita filiolam astra. Lilii est opus Leonis."_

_"What?"_

_"Face your life of lies, see the truth." Then,_Lilith woke up.

**_What the hell?_****_Face what lies? What fear?_**

_"The truth is a terrible and beautiful thing, and therefore should be treated with caution. In your case, the situation is more dire."_

_What?_

"Lilith, are you awake?" Cassandra called.

"Am now," she mumbled.

"Are you going to apologize for earlier? For snarling at me?"

"No, I'm not."

"What's the matter with you?" Lilith looked up and saw Cassandra standing in the doorway. "Why are you so enraged? You're acting… weird."

"Why don't you go stick your head up your ass and leave me alone?" Lily asked calmly.

"Lily Riddle-" Cassandra's froze, and Lilith stared at her in shock.

"What do you call me?" Lilith said, sitting up in bed. Cassandra's face paled, but she answered quickly. A little too quickly.

"Lilith Riddle."

"No, you called me 'Lily', why did you call me that?"

"I did not, Lilith. Now, tell me; what's the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong; why did you call me 'Lily'? "

"It was a slip of the tongue-" her sister claimed, "but something _is _wrong."

"You called me 'Lily'! Now there's something wrong."

"I did not, your ears are playing tricks on you," she moved to lay a hand on Lilith's forehead, but she glared at her so Cassandra stepped back. "You must be suffering after affects from your nightmares."

"Get out."

"You had another one didn't you? You're always grumpy after a dream."

"I didn't, now go away."

"I want to help you, Lilith!"

"I don't want help!" Lilith snapped.

Cassandra huffed, and walked out. Lilith growled to herself and punched her pillow.

**Outside, Cassandra shuddered.** She had nearly given up her secret. She had almost reveled Lily's true name. Lilith could figure it out. She had to do something. If Lilith, the girl she'd been trying to protect for fourteen years found out … his plan would be foiled. The whole thing would come crashing down. Potter would find her and her master would stay dead, but she would die…


	4. Chapter 4 Promises

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Promises**

**The next day, **Cassandra drilled Potions into Lilith. She started the day by finishing a Strengthening Solution she'd started the day before. After lunch, Lilith started a Wide-Eye Potion, and had finished it by dinner.

After dinner, Lilith took some of the potion she had brewed while Cassandra was not looking, and dueled with Cassandra. They stopped around ten o'clock, after Lilith had defeated Cassandra twice. Cassandra retired to her room, and soon Lilith could hear the scratching of quill, and the hiss of a potion. Lilith played with a snitch in her room, and stared at the ceiling. At eleven fifteen, after Cassandra's snores could be heard, Lilith tiptoed around her room, getting dressed. She donned a long black dress, sleeveless, attacked her hair again so there were no tangles in it at all. She stopped before the mirror to examine herself.

Why she chose that dress, she had no clue. The skirt flared like all her skirts did when she twirled, but it flared up higher than any skirt she owned, and since it was so long, she would have to lift it to run. But it was okay. The bodice was made question her intents. It was one of those corset tops, tight, emphasizing what little chest she had, with a sweet heart neckline, and left her shoulders bare. Lilith cocked her head, then grabbed a clip and pulled the strands of hair at her temples back, and used the clip to pin them in place. Then she grabbed her mask, pulled it on, and stood back.

To her, she looked dangerous, and pretty. Sure, the dress made her look older, like she was fifteen or sixteen, but tonight, she felt like looking dangerous and pretty.

Lilith left her feet bare and tied the string of her cloak around her neck in a loose bow. She raised the black hood, letting her hair spill from it.

With her wand gripped tightly in her right hand, Lilith peered into the sitting room. The door to her sister's room was ajar. Cassandra's light was off, and she was still snoring. She darted across the room, and out into the Chamber.

Lifting her skirt so she would not trip- and to keep the hem from getting wet- Lilith ran up the passage, and up to Myrtle's bathroom. In the corridors, she glanced around, and then walked slowly. The swishing of her skirt and the gentle patter of her feet were the only sounds she heard.

Her feet carried her to the stairs, and up to the seventh floor. She passed no one, but Mrs. Norris spotted her. Lilith bent to pet the old kitty, who purred and rubbed up against her. She was sure that she was the only person Mrs. Norris liked other than Filch.

Lilith lifted Mrs. Norris into her arms. The cat purred louder, and licked her shoulder appreciatively.

She walked slowly, wandering the corridors, thinking. She knew where she wanted to go, and how to get there, but she was not sure if she should.

_"He's a Longbottom," _her inner 'Cassandra' said.

_So?_

_"You can't have a relationship with that… blood traitor!"_

_There is nothing wrong with him; besides, I'm not having a relationship with him. We're just talking._

_"Oh, so you were just 'talking' yesterday morning when you figured out 'the best way to shut a boy up'?"_

_That didn't mean anything!_

_"It didn't? And the fact that the dress you happen to have chosen to wear is a rather revealing one means nothing?"_

_Yeah. I like it, that's all._

_"Then turn around and go back!"_

_"Hey"! _The nasty voice was back, "_Leave it be; nothing's wrong with her talking to Jack Longbottom. Or kissing him."_

_"You only say that because you think he's hot," _'Cassandra' muttered.

_"Yes, I do think Jack's hot; but it has nothing to do with this!"_

_"Yes it does!"_

_"No it doesn't!"_

_Shut it, the both of you!_

_"Lilith, meeting with Longbottom is wrong! He's a blood traitor; he ought to groveling at your feet!"_

_A boy, a handsome one, is interested in me, and wants to talk to me. Can I plead thirteen and never been kissed before yesterday?_

_"No! You can't! He's a toad!"_

_"Something tells me that this toad might turn out to be a prince," _the nasty voice said.

_Besides, I'm only going to talk to him._

_"Then why are you preparing to flirt?" _'Cassandra snapped. _"Explain that."_

_I'm not going to flirt with him!_

_"Yes, you are!"_

_Who said I was?_

_"You did."_

_When?_

_"Um, we're in your head,"_ the nasty voice interrupted. _"We hear everything you think. And I'd appreciate it if you would stop calling me the nasty voice."_

_What should I call you?_

_"Water Lily."_

_I like 'the nasty voice' better._

_"Hrrmph."_

Lilith took a deep breath, and turned a corner. And quickly ducked behind a suit of armor. Longbottom the reporter was pacing the corridor, running his hand through his hair and checking his watch. Mrs. Norris' yellow eyes fixed on him. A growl arose from her throat.

"Shh," Lilith whispered. "It's okay."

Mrs. Norris looked at her, and then settled her head on Lilith's shoulder. Longbottom was muttering, but Lilith could not hear what he was saying. Once his back was turned, Lilith slipped out from behind her suit of armor, and walked as quickly and quietly as possible towards a statue ten feet from Longbottom. Crouching behind it, Lilith kissed Mrs. Norris head to appease her, since she was beginning to growl louder.

"Shh, shh, Missy," Lilith whispered. "Wait a few minutes. Then you can go fetch Filch."

Mrs. Norris quieted. Lilith turned her attention to Longbottom.

"…stupid, should have known," he muttered. He turned back, pacing. "Half past twelve. No girl. Probably forgot. Having her 'beauty rest', probably."

Lilith leaned back, and ran her hand down Mrs. Norris fur. So, he thought she'd stood him up. Lilith smiled.

Once Longbottom had turned away again, Lilith stood, walked forward, and stopped in the middle of the corridor. Mrs. Norris growled again. Longbottom froze, mumbled "Crap," and turned around.

"Hello," Lilith said cheerfully. Longbottom's eyebrows rose.

"How the hell did you get that cat?" he asked.

"Mrs. Norris has always liked me. I bring her scraps from the kitchens, and I, unlike Filch, play with her. She's still a cat, no matter how old and grouchy."

Mrs. Norris squirmed, and Lilith let her down. Longbottom glared at the cat, and then looked up at her. His jaw dropped to form a perfect 'o' as he looked her up and down. Lilith put her hands on her hips. So far, complete shock and disbelief suited Longbottom.

"Problem?" Lilith asked. She smiled slightly. She was thoroughly enjoying the look on his face.

"No," he said, giving her a crooked grin. Longbottom began to pace again. Lilith raised an eyebrow. Then a door appeared in the wall, and Lilith let her jaw drop. Longbottom smirked, and held out his arm.

"Just admiring the view," he said. Lilith regained her composure, and took his arm. Mrs. Norris scratched at the door. Longbottom opened it, and Mrs. Norris darted in. Lilith allowed Longbottom to lead her inside. The room was set up like the Gryffindor common room, with a couch before a fire. Lilith let go of Longbottom's arm, and sat down. Longbottom sat next to her, holding his pad of paper and a quill.

"So, Miss Riddle, I looked you up in student records this afternoon, and guess what I found?"

Lilith's heart sped up, and it was already going at twice its normal rate, mind you. She weighed the options her mind. If he'd looked in the records, he wouldn't have found any trace of Lilith Riddle anywhere. So, lie, and be safe, or tell the truth, and be noticed? The choice was obvious.

"You didn't find me," Lilith said. Mrs. Norris leapt into her lap, and settled down there, blinking sleepily. Lilith began to pet her, glad for something to hide the fact that her arms were trembling.

"That's right," Longbottom said. He scribbled something on his paper. "So, who are you really?"

"I'm a shadow. A ghost."

"Really? You feel pretty solid to me," he said, reaching out to touch her cheek. She smacked his hand away.

"You know, I think I remember you," Lilith said. "Last year, at the Halloween feast, you were the one I dropped the first pumpkin on."

Longbottom's cheeks turned pink, too pink to be the glow of the firelight. Then his eyebrows rose.

"You mean you're the Shadow of the Chamber?" he said.

Lilith nodded.

"Sweet!" Longbottom said. "You surprise me again and again."

"Thank you," Lilith said. "If it helps, you surprised me with this room."

"Oh, this," he said, looking around. "It's not that special."

"You know what it is and I don't," Lilith said.

"You, the Shadow, don't know what the Room of Requirement is?"

"No," she admitted.

"Well, it's simple really. You just walk past that stretch of wall three times, thinking of what you need, and poof, its there."

"Sweet," Lilith said. Longbottom grinned.

"So, what's it like to be the Shadow of the Chamber?"

"It's awesome. I mean, you've seen my pranks. I have no limits. Rules don't affect me, and the staff can't punish me, because I'm not a student and they can't catch me."

"Great!" Longbottom scribbled it down. "So, if you're not a student, how do find out all that stuff for your pranks?"

"I teach myself."

"From the library?"

"No, I learn it from the pink erumpent on the second floor."

"Ha ha," Longbottom said.

"Yeah, I get it from the library. And sometimes I sneak into the teacher's private studies."

"Really? What's in McGonagall's study?"

She shrugged. "Transfiguration and stuff from the rest of the Headmaster's and mistresses."

"What about Professor Potter's study?"

"I don't go in there," Lilith said, looking away, her smile gone.

"Why not?"

"I don't like him."

"Why? Because he fought against Voldemort?"

Lilith squared her shoulders, glaring at Longbottom.

"Yes, that's why."

"You think Voldemort had the right idea? Killing muggles and anyone who gets in his way?"

"They would have tried to stop him."

"Of course they would have! He was going to kill them."

"The Dark Lord didn't kill randomly! He killed only when necessary, and it pained him each time he had to spill magical blood!"

"From what I've heard, he enjoyed killing." Longbottom said.

Lilith stood, glaring at him. Mrs. Norris hissed and spit at Longbottom.

"The Dark Lord only wished to rid our government of weak assed muggle lovers like Dumbledore!" she snapped.

"Obviously, we have two very different opinions," Longbottom said. "Let's calm down, and agree to disagree." He took her hand, pulled her down gently.

Lilith blinked, but sat.

"Let's forget about it, okay?"

"Fine," Lilith snapped, and crossed her arms huffily.

Longbottom sighed, and went back to his list of questions.

"Where do you live if you don't live in a dorm?"

"No comment."

Longbottom smiled wryly. "I deserve that, don't I?"

Lilith smiled back. "You do."

"Fine," Longbottom sighed. "Tell me about yourself."

"Why? You already know, don't you? Aren't I infamous?"

"But it's nice to hear it from your point of view."

"Okay," Lilith said, relaxing. "Uh, I'm smart, my best class is Transfiguration, second best is Charms, my favorite prank to pull on the students is the one where I jinx the food, you know, so that you all turn violent shades of pink and purple. And my favorite staff prank, I did this one years ago, but I bet you've heard of it. I jinxed the staff room, so everyone who crossed the thresh hold would turn into a sea mammal."

Longbottom laughed. "Yeah, I've remember that one. They shut down the whole school and forbade everyone from going into the staff room. One of my friends didn't listen, though. James got turned into a walrus. It was really funny. He was so grumpy when Madam Pomfrey fixed him."

Lilith grinned. The fight over Voldemort and Potter seemed to be forgotten.

"What do you enjoy doing most?" Longbottom asked.

A mischievous smile spread across Lilith's face. "Flirting," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, there's this sixth year boy who I have wrapped around my finger, and I only met him yesterday."

Longbottom blushed again.

"Seriously," Longbottom said.

"I am serious!" Lilith laughed. She stretched out a hand to touch his cheek. It was warm beneath her fingers. "It's so fun to make him blush."

His cheek grew warmer. Lilith grinned, and brushed her knuckles against his cheekbone. She let her hand go through his hair, and then dropped it to his neck to feel his pulse. It raced against her fingers. Lilith's mischievous grin turned to a smile of triumph. Longbottom batted her hand away, his cheeks redder than ever.

"All right then, Riddle," Longbottom said, grinning despite his crimson cheeks. He tossed aside his paper and his quill, and moved closer to her. "Let's try something a little better than flirting."

Longbottom put his arm around her shoulders, cupped her chin, and touched his lips to hers.

Unlike the kiss in the common room, this kiss was slow and gentle. A brief touch of the lips that made Lilith's heart go even faster. Longbottom pulled back, grinning.

"It's fun to make you blush too," he murmured.

"Shut up, Longbottom," Lilith said. But she smiled.

He laughed. Lilith, feeling very bold, twisted so she was kneeling on the couch. She slipped her fingers into his collar, and pulled him close.

She didn't have much experience with kissing, but on instinct she closed her eyes once she made contact with his mouth. And even though she didn't know what to do, she found herself slanting her mouth on his. Longbottom wrapped his arms around her. Lilith smiled.

She pulled back. His eyes were still shut.

"You're right, Longbottom, kissing is better than flirting," Lilith said.

"Maybe you ought to call me by my first name," he said, opening his eyes.

"Shame, I forgot it."

"It's Jack."

"All right, Jack, you have to call me Lilith then."

"Fine with me. Lilith, come a little closer. I want a repeat."

She laughed, and moved over so she was pressed against his side. "Close enough?"

"Yup," Longbottom, no, Jack said.

Lilith pursed her lips. "No, I don't think it is." She stood up. Jack frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Hush up, and trust me," she whispered. Trying to ignore the fact that she was trembling from head to foot, she sat down on his lap, then twisted so she was facing him, sitting side-saddle on his lap. Jack inhaled sharply, now looking up at her.

"That's better," Lilith murmured. "Don't you think?"

"Well, you're still up there, so…"

She smiled, and lowered her lips to his. He put his arms around her, pulling her down, closer.

Some might think that she was being stupid, taking things so quickly. She knew that her mother was probably rolling in her grave. But what thirteen-year-old girl wouldn't melt at the touch of a boy three years older? Especially if it was her first time in the arms of a boy?

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	5. Chapter 5 Burned

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Burned**

** Jack gently lifted Lilith off his lap**, breaking the kiss.

"What's the matter?" she said, confused.

"We have to stop, or I'll be asking the Room to give us a bed," he said.

Lilith blushed, and looked away. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't be. It's not your fault you're too enticing."

She laughed as her cheeks got warmer. Jack was grinning. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Lilith raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you want though?"

"Say again?"

"You heard me," Lilith crossed her arms.

Jack shrugged. "Well, yeah; but I'd like to get to know you first."

Lilith frowned. "Get to know me?"

"Yeah. I'm not just a hormone crazed boy, I'm a person too."

Lilith unfolded her arms. She was a bit confused.

"Same time, same place tomorrow, then?" he asked, standing up. He offered her his hand, and she took it.

"Yeah," she said.

"I'll walk you back to wherever it is you live."

"You don't need to."

"I want to," he said, tapping her nose. "Like I said last night, it's not every day I meet a pretty girl in the middle of the night."

Lilith smiled. She was liking this.

**Cassandra sat in her room,** eyes heavy with weariness, mixing a potion. Her eyes were on a table before her, on an open book, that had an air of Dark Magic about it, as did the full caldron. The steam pouring of it was a deep red, the color of blood; the potion itself hissed and bubbled over the black flames it sat on.

"It's nearly ready for the next stage, Master," she hissed to a ghost hovering over her.

"Good," he murmured, and caressed her black hair. "As soon as the potion is done; the Potter brat will have to say good-bye to everything. And Potter himself will not be able to survive the 'heartache' of it; once we make her proclaim her _hate_ for him, he will be all too willing to give up. His precious little Lily, saying she would rather _die _than look at him! The torture he will experience! It will be a sight to see," the ghost said, an evil grin twisting his face. He did not notice the look of sorrow that crossed Cassandra's face. Too enamored was he, in his diabolical plan.

The potion in front of them frothed and splattered on Cassandra. She yelped in pain; and quickly waved her wand over the burn. The ghost sneered momentarily at her pain then said, "Perhaps we should test it further."

"On who, my Lord?"

"Perchance on that brat; you could tell her she had an accident in her potions class…"

"Yes, testing would be good," Cassandra stood, and carefully, though somewhat reluctantly, collected some of the potion in a flask; then tiptoed out of the study and into Lilith's room.

"Where is she?" the ghost growled.

"I- I don't know," Cassandra replied, a hint of relief creeping into her voice as she glanced over the room, looking for the girl.

The ghost took a deep breath, and said, "Let her be for now; we will test on one of those Gryffindor brats."

"Yes, my Lord," Cassandra bowed to him, and then touched a finger to her left wrist, before fading into smoke. The whorl of smoke rose upward, towards Gryffindor Tower. It stopped, and reformed into Cassandra in one of the Gryffindor girls' dormitory. Before her, fast asleep, lay Alice Longbottom, her blonde hair spread out on the pillow, her breathing deep and rhythmic. Cassandra crept forward and crouched down at Alice's bedside; and uncorked the vial of potion. She let a drop fall onto the girl's exposed arm; then her body dissipated to smoke, and returned to the Chamber. As she did, the droplets of potion on Alice's arm bubbled, and hissed. She gasped in pain, and awoke. The skin beneath the drops of potion turned bright red, and started to swell.

Alice sat bolt upright, screams ripping from her throat, as pain like she had never felt before burned on her arm. The other girls woke with yelps and gasps while Alice ran out of bed and out of the dormitory. The pain was unbearable, like her arm had been stuck in front of an angry dragon. She gripped her elbow tightly, squeezing the skin, trying to block the flow of blood to this random burn.

In the common room, James Potter, Hogwarts Head Boy, woke from his doze just in time to see his best mate's little sister run down the stairs, screaming in pain. Fear welled his chest while agony twisted Allie's normally pretty face. He jumped up, and crossed the room to her side.

"Alice!" he gasped," What-" then he saw the long burn on her arm, which was spreading farther and farther up it and he quickly put a numbing charm on her arm before picking her up. She buried her face in his shoulder and wrapped her legs around his waist. Ignoring the people flooding the room, he walked as quickly as he could without jostling Alice too much out of the common room and to the hospital wing.

_Please, let her be all right,_ he silently begged, _Please let Madame Pomfrey be able to heal her arm. _Then, unbidden, he wondered what Alice would say when she knew who had rushed her to safety. 

He ran, trying to ignore the whimpers and yelps coming from Alice as he carried the third year girl down the stairs. He ran past two prefects on duty; not answering their questions; not stopping, not even when Filch yelled "Student out of bed! There's a student in the corridors!" Not even when he ran Jack, who jumped guiltily but froze at the sight of his sister, and some red head wearing a mask, who ducked behind Jack.

"Mr. Potter! What are you doing?" Madame Pomfrey said in confusion when James burst into the hospital wing.

"Something happened to Alice," he panted, and laid her down gently on one of the beds. "I don't know what, but she has this huge burn on her arm… I put a numbing charm on it, because she was screaming," now she was only whimpering. "I didn't want to put anything else on it…"

Pomfrey knelt down and examined the burn, waved her wand and muttered under her breath.

"Whatever happened, it was Dark Magic. Go fetch your father, James, and be quick about it!"

James nodded, and ran out. Alice whimpered more as Pomfrey prodded the burn with her wand.

"Hush, Miss Longbottom; we'll figure it out what to do soon," she said. "What do you feel?"

"It hurts!"

"I know. Is it a stabbing pain, or a shooting pain?"

"Its wa-waves of p-pain, l-like it's r-rolling over m-me…" tears began to pour down her face and she sobbed. "I want Mum, a-and D-dad!"

"I'll have your Uncle Harry floo them, all right?"

Alice nodded, and yelped and cried harder as the burn turned a nasty shade of green. Then the doors opened and James ran back in followed by Harry and Alice's parents.

"Allie, pet, what happened?" Luna asked as she grasped her daughter's good hand.

She just cried harder and shook her head. James stepped up and reported what he had seen; they just nodded and Luna stroked her daughter's hair. Mr. Longbottom face was pale as he gazed upon his daughter, while his wife held the sobbing girl.

When James was done, Harry took her arm and muttered under his breath while gently touching the center of the burn with his wand. Slowly, a frown spread across his face.

"This isn't a curse burn," he said. "It's a potion; I don't know what but I think I can reverse it…" a flash of purple light erupted from his wand and Alice gasped in pain, then in relief as it settled on the burn. The green tinge remained but it lessoned slightly.

Alice's parents stayed awhile longer, before going home. Harry returned to his office to research Alice's burn, as did Madame Pomfrey, after giving Alice a dreamless sleep potion. But James stayed; holding Alice's hand, and fell asleep in a chair by her bed.

**Harry Potter sat in his office,** poring over books. His eyes itched with tiredness, and he really wanted to go home to Ginny, but Alice was his goddaughter, and he felt required to stay and find out what happened to her. But these books had nothing! He couldn't find a single explanation, a single potion that even remotely produced the kind of burn Alice had. And his mind kept wandering. How was she burned in the first place?

Sometime around four in the morning, he admitted defeat. His brain was too groggy, and if he didn't stop, he'd fall asleep at his desk. Standing, he blew out the candle he'd been using for light, and crossed to the fireplace. The embers glowed red in the darkness. Harry conjured a fire, grabbed a pinch of Floo powder, and threw it into the flames.

"The Potter House," he said, and stepped into the flames.

Once the spinning had stopped, he stumbled out onto the hearthrug in the family room.

Ginny lounged on the couch in front of him. She had her nose buried in one of her romance books that ought to be left for a teenage girl. She had on a long white nightgown that really showed off her curves.

"You're late," she commented without looking up.

"Someone poured potion on Alice Longbottom, and it landed her in the hospital wing," Harry sighed. Ginny looked up.

"I know, Luna Floo'ed over about three hours ago. She and Neville are in the guest room. There house is too far away from Hogwarts to get there directly."

Harry nodded.

"Why didn't you come home before now?"

"I was trying to figure out what burned Alice," Harry sighed, sinking into an armchair. Ginny set her book on the coffee table, and stood. She sat down on Harry's lap, and removed his glasses.

"You'll find it," she promised. "I'll help you."

"I need all the help I can get," Harry yawned.

"We should go up to bed."

"Yeah," Harry said. Ginny stood and pulled him up. Even though she 40 years old, she was still strong. Ginny grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it on. Harry put his arm around her waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

They left the family room, and walked to their bedroom in silence.

In their room, the first thing Harry noticed was the photo album on the bed. He glanced at his wife, though she said nothing. Ginny shut the door, and sat down on the bed. Harry pulled a loose tee shirt and a pair of clean boxers from his dresser, and changed. He tossed his robes into a hamper by the closet door, and sat down by Ginny. She had opened the photo album and was turning the pages idly. Two-year-old James smiled and waved at the camera while Albus, wearing nothing but a diaper crawled over hard wood floor to Ginny's out-stretched arms. Harry, holding James, hovered a few feet off the ground on a broom, waving to the camera. Ginny turned the page. The pages pictures all featured Ginny and a newborn baby. Ginny sleeping with the baby in her arms. Harry hugging Ginny while the baby looked up at the camera, smiling sweetly. A picture of the whole family. James standing between Harry and Ginny, Albus on Harry's back, and Ginny holding the baby. Newborn Lily Marigold Potter.

One of Baby Lily in her basinet. She was grinning at the camera, chewing on the wing of a stuffed owl. She had short red curls, and big hazel eyes. She dropped the owl, and laughed at something. Harry clenched his jaw, and looked away. Ginny bit her lip, fingering the edge of the page. He knew she would not turn it. She did this every night for the past thirteen years. Just stared at pictures of Lily. Harry looked back. Ginny had tears in her eyes.

Gently, Harry pulled the photo album from her hands. He stood, and placed it on the dresser.

"You need to go to sleep, love," Harry said.

"I miss her," Ginny said.

"So do I."

Ginny pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on her knees.

"I wonder where she is now, if she's all right."

Harry nodded. "I wonder if she remembers us at all."

"I hope she does."

Harry switched off the light on his bedside table, and slipped beneath the blankets. Ginny turned her light off, and got under the blankets too. Harry pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head.

"I bet she's fast asleep, wherever she is. I bet she's dreaming about the parents she barely remembers."


	6. Chapter 6 Smoke and Potions

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Smoke and Potions**

** Lilith woke up the next morning smiling.** She had been dreaming about last night, about kissing Longbottom. Her inner 'Cassandra' had not bugged her, and no funny dreams had interrupted her pleasant memory. She dressed quickly, sticking her wand into the waistband of her skirt, and left her room to go fetch some breakfast. Cassandra was in the sitting room, reading a copy of Transfiguration Today.

"Where were you last night, Lilith?"

Lilith froze. Then, plastering a slightly confused look onto her face, she turned back to Cassandra. She had set down her magazine, and was watching Lilith intently.

"Pardon?"

"Where were you?"

"In my room," Lilith said, raising her eyebrows. Partial truth, she had been in her room part of the night.

"No you weren't," Cassandra stood up. "I went to check on you around one o'clock last night and you were gone."

Lilith blinked innocently at her sister. "I went for a walk," she said. "I couldn't sleep, so I went down to the kitchens."

Cassandra frowned. Again, the tell-tall feeling Lilith felt whenever Cassandra tried Legilimency on her. Lilith put together an image of her walking down to the kitchens. It was really a memory of two nights ago, but it would fool Cassandra.

Or she thought it would.

"Where did you really go, Lilith, because you weren't in the kitchens," Cassandra said.

"If I tell you, what are you going to do to me?"

"Ground you for a week."

"And if I don't?"

"Ground you for a month."

Lilith thought about it. She did not want Cassandra to know where she had gone, but she didn't want to be stuck her for a month. But Cassandra knew she'd been out with a boy at least three years older than her, she'd be grounded until she was his age. Cassandra had always exercised a 'Boys are evil so stay away from them' rule.

"I choose the month long punishment," Lilith said. Cassandra raised her eyebrows.

"You what?"

"I don't want to tell you where I went, so I'll take the month of being grounded."

Cassandra scowled. Lilith imagined the white room again. Cassandra swore under her breath.

"Fine, you're to stay in the Chamber until November seventh. That's three weeks. Twenty-one days. Go to your room."

Lilith sighed, and trooped glumly back to her room.

"I'll go get something from the house elves. You stay there! If you leave, I will know, and you'll be in worse trouble."

Cassandra left the room, muttering a charm as she went. Lilith guessed it was something to alert Cassandra if Lilith ever left the room. She opened her bedroom door, and entered it. She flopped onto her bed, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach. Lilith would have to figure out how to sneak a message to Jack, to tell him she couldn't see him for a month. The prospect of losing that sense of freedom and that feeling of pleasure that came with seeing him made her feel horribly depressed.

Lilith groaned, then flipped over and started punching her pillows. Cassandra says do this, don't do that, that's all she was. The freedom of pranks was not good enough anymore, and Cassandra probably would not let her leave the Chamber to rig the Great Hall for Halloween even. And she always did that!

Why did life have to be so frustrating?! Why did she get something wonderful and free, just to lose it once she felt the true power of it?

After eight days stuck in her room, Lilith took up a habit of randomly jinxing her walls. Nothing serious, just randomly blowing holes in the wall, and repairing them before the gaps could affect the structure of her home. One particular frustrating Thursday, Cassandra had left the castle in search of potion ingredients, and Lilith decided to take her anger out on the wall. And she had a lot of pent up anger.

After about twenty minutes, Lilith dropped her wand, now bored of blasting holes in the wall. She stared up at the ceiling. Twenty-one days total of being chronically bored, and she was four days in. She lifted her head, glancing around the room for something to do. So many boring things, so much time! She could read, sort through her dresser and wardrobe, clean up, or spend some time puzzling over her mysterious mirror. Her bookshelf gleamed in her mind's eye, but the mirror gleamed brighter. She jumped off the bed and crossed the room to the mirror. Running one hand over the frame, she looked into it. All she saw was herself.

Sighing, Lilith let go and started to turn away, but a flash of movement in the mirror caught her eye. Turning back, Lilith's jaw dropped. Jack was standing there, holding her in his arms from behind. Lilith spun around, scanning the room. He wasn't there. She looked back at the mirror. There he was, grinning at her. The mirror Lilith smiled too. But the real Lilith's face stayed in shocked mode. She reached out a trembling hand and pressed her palm to Jack's cheek. Mirror Lilith touched her palm to Jack's face too. Jack leaned down and kissed Mirror Lilith's neck, just below her jaw. Real Lilith touched her neck.

She looked back at the inscription. Maybe the mirror's trick was it tortured you with images of things you'd rather be doing.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi," she said. "Well, what the hell does that mean? Why?" She glanced back at the mirror image. Mirror Lilith turned in Jack's arms, and pressed her lips to his. Real Lilith clenched her jaw. She turned, grabbed the first hard thing she could find, and threw it as hard as she could at the mirror. The glass cracked, the dividing line going through Jack and Mirror Lilith's kiss. Real Lilith screamed in frustration. She whacked the mirror with the thing-her hairbrush- again. The crack ran deeper. Again. More fractures. Again, again, again. With each swing, a tear leaked from Lilith's eyes. Finally, pieces of the mirror fell from the frame. The shard of glass that held Jack's face fell to the ground. Lilith picked it up with trembling fingers, sinking to her knees.

"Why?" she said again. The tears that had welled up in her eyes now fell freely, falling onto the glass, splashing across Jack's cheeks, his nose, his eyes.

Lilith glanced back at the mirror, to the inscription. She read it again. When she got to the end, her eyes flicked back to the beginning. Then back to the end. Was it just her imagination, or did the last word 'wohsi' look like 'ishow' backwards?

Lilith stood, the mirror fragment falling from her fingers.

"Ishow? Or I show?" she said. Then, she lunged for a blank shard of glass. Holding it up to the end of the inscription, she read it again. This time backwards.

"Ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arst desire," she said. Her mind whirred, sorting through the words, forming them into English. "I show not your face but your hearts desire."

Lilith stepped back, her eyes resting on the word 'desire.' Her heart's desire? The deepest longing of her heart was Jack?

No, that couldn't be. She'd known him for a few days!

Lilith turned, looking for her wand. She grabbed it, then flicked it at the mirror, muttering 'Reparo' as she did. The shards of glass flew back into the frame, reforming the image of Jack. This time, he was alone. Standing there, arms open, smiling at her. Lilith sank onto her bed, her eyes fixed on his. More tears dripped from her eyes. She brushed them away quickly. She couldn't do this. She couldn't just sit there for a month with Jack smiling at her behind the glass. She had to get out.

Lilith jumped up and ran out of her room. She crossed the sitting room, grabbed handle of Cassandra's door, and entered her sister's room. She halted. She hadn't been in her sister's room in a long while, but it looked the same as always. A twin size bed pushed up against the wall, bookcases lining each wall. A table in the middle laden with potion ingredients. The caldron beside it bubbling gently. Lilith turned to one of the many bookcases, her fingers running over the spins of each one. She was searching for one in particular.

Last year Cassandra had made Lilith write an essay on ancient forms of travel, before they had brooms and Portkeys, and the like. There was one that she had told Lilith about that was dead useful, because she was able to use it within Hogwarts without drawing attention. Cassandra had lectured her about it for a good two hours, all about techniques and the theory of it. But for the life of her, Lilith could not remember what it was called! It had something to do with smoke and separating each cell of your body. But what did Cassandra call it? All Lilith could remember about it was that the book Cassandra had made her read was called 'Forgotten Spells,' or 'Old Magic,' or something like that.

Lilith glanced at the door. Cassandra usually spent whole days hunting for ingredients for her potions, but today Cassandra had promised to be back before three o'clock. It was half past twelve, and Cassandra was always early.

"Come on, where is it?" Lilith grumbled under her breath. "Magical travel, where are you?"

Then, she spotted the book. The spine read 'Olde and Forgotten Magic.' With a cry of triumph, Lilith grabbed it, and tugged it away from the other books trapping it. The book on its left, 'Dark and Dangerous Potions of the Eleventh Century,' fell to the floor. Lilith quickly stuffed it back on the overcrowded shelf, and darted from the room.

Back in her bedroom, Lilith tossed Olde and Forgotten Magic onto her bed, and shut the door with a snap. She plopped onto the bed and started flicking through the pages. Recipes for potions to turn your enemies into rabbits and spells to summon something from miles away flashed before her. Near the back, behind instructions to cure Magical Gingivitis, Lilith found a promising page.

_"When ye find thyself unable to Apparate, such as if ye are within a territory that is subjugated to Anti Apparition Wards, Mist Apparition is the key to withdrawing thyself hurriedly and without causing suspicion. Mist Apparition is different from true Apparition, so cannot be detected and therefore prevented by Anti Apparition Wards. The theory behind Mist Apparition is thus: To dissolve into a gaseous form and move thyself by the power of thy mind. To dissolve thyself, thou must will thy body to break down, and change its shape. The easiest way to do so is to prepare a potion that will give thee a trigger, a way to speedily dissipate thy body. However, when first attempting Mist Apparition, it is best to go through the steps for the longer way. After thou hast successfully dissolved and moved, thou shall brew the potion, drink it, and receive thy trigger. _

_ "The steps to dissolve without a trigger are thus. Begin by clearing thy surroundings of all distractions."_

Lilith glanced at the mirror. Jack smiled his lopsided smile. Sighing, Lilith grabbed her cloak and threw it over the mirror, covering Jack.

_"Clear thy mind of all thoughts. Methods used during Occlumency are best."_

Lilith shut her eyes, and imagined the white room she used to block Cassandra from reading her mind. She opened them again to read the next step.

_"Imagine thy body in a gale of wind. Imagine thy body breaking apart under the stress of the wind, imagine thyself dissolve as if a haze of smoke."_

Lilith shut her eyes again. She put herself in the white room. Then she imagined the gust of wind as directed by the book. In her mind, she spread her arms and let the wind pull at her hair and clothes. And then she imagined her body beginning to dissipate, like the haze of smoke the book had described. Once her body was completely gaseous in her mind, she opened her eyes.

_"Now will thy body to do as it did in your mind. Believe it will, insist that it will. Develop a chant to assist thou in thy belief. Now utter the incantation 'Ego Fumo.'"_

Lilith stood up, spread her arms as she did in her mind, and focused on the haze of smoke she wanted to be.

_I will dissolve. I will. I am smoke._ _I am mist. I am air. I will dissolve. _

Then it began. Starting with her toes, a slight tingling spread through her. As the tingling passed, her body grew numb.

_I will dissolve into mist. I will. I believe with all my heart that I will. I am now mist._

"Ego Fumo."

She opened her eyes, and looked down. Or she tried to. Then she tried to frown. And couldn't. She couldn't move.

Lilith began to panic. Maybe she'd done something wrong, maybe she was too dissolved to move.

"_Remember what the book said, you have to use your mind to move. 'To dissolve into a gaseous form and move thyself by the power of thy mind.'"_

She had never been so pleased to hear the voice of the nasty voice.

_"I'll take that as a compliment."_

Lilith relaxed, and thought _I will look down._ Her vision shifted, moving downward. Her eyes caught her body. Or what had been her body. She could see the vague outline of her torso and her skirt, but her body was made entirely of smoke.

_Yes! _She whooped inwardly. She wanted to pump her fists. Her fists pumped. Lilith wanted to grin. She grinned.

_"See, you're good. No worries."_

Lilith willed herself over to the book. The words were a little fuzzy. Lilith willed herself closer. The words cleared up.

_"Once thou hast completed the afore steps and become mist, will thyself to move around thy surroundings. When thou art mist, thou canst move through solid objects, so make thyself efficient at willing thyself to move through things."_

Lilith willed her mouth to form a broader grin. Then, she will her mist-body to waltz right through her bed. It did so.

_Yeah! I'm awesome, I'm awesome!_

_ "Yes, yes, but can you change back?"_

Lilith once again hated the nasty voice.

_Of course I can. All I have to do is reverse the steps. But that's for later. I'm going to the main Chamber._

The nasty voice tsk tsked in her mind while Lilith willed her body of smoke out of her room, right through her door.

Moving like this was a little slow, Lilith observed. She wanted to go faster. Then, she blinked, and she was no longer crossing the sitting room, but speeding through the Chamber.

_Whoa! Stop! Body, freeze!_

She froze in the middle of the Chamber.

_"Show me you can change back."_

_ In a minute. I'm going to the kitchens. I'll change back there._

_ "But maybe you have to do something different to become solid again, maybe the process is different!"_

_ Hush up, nasty voice._

By then, Lilith was already zipping through the tunnel up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Another five seconds later, she was standing in front of the fruit painting that covered the kitchen entrance.

_"Change back. Now." _

_ Fine, fine. I'll change back. _Lilith closed her eyes and imagined the haze of smoke that was her body pressing together and reforming to be her again. She spread her arms, and waited.

She looked down. Still smoke.

_"I told you so!"_

_ Shut up, I'm concentrating._

Lilith focused. She really wanted to be solid again. She wanted to be solid so she could go into the kitchens, and eat lunch.

Lilith peaked. No body.

_"Go back to your room and look up the instructions to reverse the process."_

_ I hate you. _

_ "I'm not the one who blindly turned their body into a puff of smoke without knowing how to turn it back."_

_ Shut it._

_ "I'd blow a raspberry at you, but I'm not that uncivilized."_

_ I am. Ppbbtt!_

_ "I feel so blessed to be covered in your spittle." _

Lilith willed her body back to her room. In two seconds, she was standing by her bed again, eyes on the instructions.

_"After thou is satisfied with thy practices, will thy body of mist to gather together and compress into the shape of your body."_

Lilith arranged her smoke into her usual shape.

_"Will it to congeal, and form thy shape."_

Lilith willed her body to reform.

_"Believe thy shape will return. Then utter the incantation Ego Solida."_

_Oh, that's it. I will be solid again. I will. I am flesh and blood and bones. I am solid._

The tingling sensation came back, this time starting at the crown of her head. After it came a sense of over-awareness, like her nerves had been recalibrated to be extra sensitive. Lilith looked down. Her head moved without her needing to will it to move.

"Arms, hands, ten fingers," Lilith muttered, taking inventory. She lifted the hem of her skirt to count her toes. "Feet, ten toes," she patted her body, running her hands down her sides "torso, legs, butt, knees, all solid."

_"Good. You're done."_

"Shut up," Lilith growled. She dropped onto her bed and grabbed the book.

_"When using a trigger, simply touch the trigger mark to dissolve, and touch it once more to return to a solid state. The steps to create the potion for creating the trigger are thus." _

Lilith stood up, and moved to the other side of her room, where she kept her caldron and potion ingredients by the fireplace. She set a stand in the grate, placed her caldron upon it, and opened a cabinet with all her ingredients. She set the book on a stand on her desk so she would not have to hold it, and then read the first step.

_"Begin by pouring one measure of pure water into thy caldron."_

Lilith pointed her wand at her caldron, and muttered "Aguamenti." Cassandra had told her long ago how to convert old potion quantities to modern ones. Once there was three quarters of a cup of water in her caldron, she turned back to the book.

_"Add one half measures of salamander scales. Thy potion shall turn lavender."_

Lilith did so. The potion turned a soft shade of lavender.

_"Two drops niffler blood." _Done. _"Five blades of knotgrass."_ Lilith picked out five blades of knotgrass and added them to the caldron._ "Six snake fangs, crushed to a fine powder." _She took six fangs from a jar and put them in her mortar. She crushed them and dropped them into the caldron. Her potion hissed and turned dark gray. Lilith checked the book. It said the potion should be dark gray.

_"Add Three drops flubberworm mucus." _Lilith grabbed her jar of flubberworm mucus and poured three drops into her caldron. _"Heat to high temperature and let sit seven minutes."_

Lilith heated her caldron, and sat back, twiddling her thumbs, eyes on the clock. Seven minutes passed in silence.

_"Stir two times to the right, four to the left, three right, one to the left."_

She stirred it. Three times clockwise, four times counter. Two clockwise. One counter clockwise.

_"Mix one and one half measures water with one half measure of dragon blood."_

Lilith whistled. Dragon blood was hard to come by, even in these days. Dutifully, Lilith poured out one and one eighths of a cup of water into a bowl and added three eighths of a cup of dragon blood.

_"Pour water and dragon blood mixture into the caldron, and then add one unicorn hair."_

Lilith poured her mixture into the caldron, then carefully pulled one silvery hair from a bunch of unicorn hairs on her desk and dropped it into the caldron. The liquid emitted silver sparks- good according to the book- and turned the dark shade of red her book said it should.

_"Light a small fire beneath thy caldron and bring potion to a boil. Let it boil for twenty three minutes."_

Lilith lit a fire under her caldron, and waited. Once it began to boil, she made a note and grabbed a small hourglass. She tapped it with her wand and the sand arranged itself for twenty-three minutes.

When the allotted time for the potion to boil passed, Lilith put the fire out and checked her book. The next step told her to stir it ten times clockwise, and then let it cool completely. She did so, and set to reading one of her Marvin the Mad Muggle comics. After it cooled, Lilith followed the last step.

_"Separate one measure of thy potion from the rest, and put it into a crystal flask. Ye may save the last of it for as long as ye wish. Thou may use what remains for others, but once you complete the last step, only thou canst drink it. Add two of thy hairs to the separated potion. It shall change to the color of thy hairs. Drink the measure ye separated, and wait."_

Lilith took a deep breath, and scooped three quarters of a cup into a flask. She plucked two hairs from her head, wincing as she did, and dropped them into her flask. The potion hissed and began to bubble. Anxiously, Lilith glanced at the book. It hadn't mentioned bubbling. Did that mean she had done something wrong?

Then the potion in her flask turned the exact color of the hairs she put in it. Red tinged with gold.

"Here we go," Lilith said. She raised the flask to her lips, and drank it.

A funny feeling spread through her. Then her entire body began to shake. The flask fell from her hand and smashed on her dark wood floor. Burning pain spread through her chest. Lilith fell to her knees, clutching her chest. She let out a whimper. She let out a silent prayer, begging for the pain to stop.

And it did. At least it faded from most of her body. But a spot on her neck, just below her jaw, where Mirror Jack had kissed Mirror Lilith, continued to burn. Lilith slapped her hand to it, wincing. Then, she felt the tingling feeling in her toes, and she realized that it was her trigger. Her body dissolved, and Lilith willed herself over to the mirror, passing through a pile of dirty clothes as she did. Lilith willed her fingers to touch the trigger again. She did, and she was solid once more.

Lilith grabbed the cloak and pulled it off the mirror. She tilted her head to see the mark on her neck. It was a flower, burned into her skin. A lily.

Lilith's eyebrows rose. A lily? What kind of silly pansy assed trigger was that supposed to be?

Sighing, Lilith went back to her caldron and poured the rest of her potion into a larger crystal vial. She took it, and shoved it into her wardrobe, in the very back.

Lilith grabbed the book and left her room. Cassandra was not back yet. Lilith put the book back in Cassandra's room, and then returned to her room. It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. Lilith started brewing a Sleeping Draught, and had finished it by the time Cassandra returned at half past three.


	7. Chapter 7 Riddle or Gregory?

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Riddle or Gregory?**

**Cassandra was in a bad mood when she returned,** not to mention suspicious. She did not believe it when Lilith swore that she had not left the Chamber. She of course used Legilimency, and Lilith, fed up with her continual intrusions; thrust her sister out of her mind, hard enough to make Cassandra stumble backwards. After that Cassandra was irritated, and refused to give Lilith any dinner. Lilith did not care though; she could sneak out using Mist Apparition later. Cassandra ate in the sitting room, but jumped up to do something every five seconds, which gave Lilith ample time to slip the Sleeping Draught into her drink.

The potion had worked its magic and Cassandra was asleep by eight o'clock. Lilith gave her another dose so she would sleep through the night without waking, and returned to her room, to spend the next few hours preparing for her plans.

She perused her wardrobe for a while, before selecting a skirt/blouse set. After dressing, she tamed her hair and tried several styles with it before deciding on leaving it loose. She decided to leave her mask behind tonight, swapping it for silver eye shadow and thick black eyeliner, stolen from Cassandra.

Standing before her mirror, Lilith scrutinized her appearance.

Her skirt was long, as usual, going down to brush the floor, but only in the back. In the front, her skirt stopped just above her knees. It was black cotton, but the last few inches at the bottom all the way around were made of fine black lace, revealing more of her legs than ever. Tonight, she had stolen a pair of Cassandra's heels (she did leave the castle for more than ingredient hunting trips). The shoes had a two-inch pencil heel, made of black faux dragon hide, and were open toed. She had painted all her nails blood red (again, stolen from Cassandra). Her shirt was black like her skirt, a black tank top that stopped just above her bellybutton. Lilith had painted her lips with a red pencil from Cassandra's make-up kit. She rubbed at her lips. The color did not smear.

She looked, and this frightened her just a little, sexy.

Lilith smiled, and grabbed a cloak from her wardrobe. She swung over her shoulders, and closed the clasp. She grabbed her wand, and a holster, and, lifting her skirt, fastened the holster to her thigh. Then she pushed her wand into it, closed her eyes, reached up, and touched her neck.

Now that she was used to dissolving, the tingling sensation wasn't as potent. She moved her particles of self through the Chamber quickly, coming to a stop in Myrtle's bathroom. Lilith slowed there, unsure of where to go.

Her plan was to go find Jack, and bring him down to the Room of Requirement. But she was hesitant. Her appearance made it look like she was trying too hard and she felt a little uncomfortable. Lilith touched her neck. She became solid again. Lowering her hood, she peered into one of the cracked mirrors. This one looked like it had been splattered with something foul, and reminded her of troll bogies. Lilith pulled her wand out its holster, and pointed it at her mouth. The red stain vanished. She bent, and transfigured her skirt so the lace in the front reached the floor with the back. She then transfigured her tank top to reach the edge of her skirt. There, she looked a little more like a thirteen-year-old girl, rather than a desperate loner in search of sex.

Dissolving herself once more, Lilith willed her body forward, up towards Gryffindor Tower. She sped through walls and corridors, and through the painting of the Fat Lady, who started and said, "Who's there?" as Lilith went through her.

Lilith stopped once she was inside the Gryffindor common room. It was empty apart for her and an older boy sleeping in one of the chairs with a book in his lap. Not Jack.

Lilith floated past him, towards a door marked "Boys Dormitories." She went through it, and up the stairs. In the corridor, there were more doors, each with plaques saying who was in it. Her eyes passed over every plaque except for the Sixth Year ones. But it wasn't until she had passed seven doors on the left and eight on the right that she spotted one with Jack's name on it. Steeling her nerves, Lilith went through it.

There were five four-poster beds in the room, all with curtains and personal objects strewn around them. Lilith touched her neck, and reformed. The two closest to the door had the curtains open, on the one on her left lay a black boy sleeping with his mouth open. On her right a fair haired boy snored softly. She went past them. The next one had a rather chubby boy with a shock of ginger hair, sleeping with his mouth wide open and a puddle of drool on his pillow.

Next was the prefect she'd run into the night she met Jack. She lingered at his bedside a moment longer, cocking her head. Like the night he had escorted her to Gryffindor Tower, she felt a sense of familiarity. Unlike then, the familiar feeling felt more intimate, like she had once been good friends with him.

_Or could have been. _

This thought startled Lilith. How could that be true? How could the possibility that she could have been his friend be real?

Pushing this thought away, Lilith walked over to the last bed, which was by a window. Moonlight poured through the glass panes, lighting her path.

Lilith took a fistful of the red curtain that blocked the occupant of the bed from view. Slowly, she pulled it back. Jack lay there, on his back; his hair was a mess, and he had kicked the blankets down, showing that he was wearing loose shorts. His chest was bare. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers over the muscles in his chest. Jack mumbled something and batted her hand away. Lilith smiled, and laid her palm against his skin. He shifted, turning slightly. He lay his hand over hers. She slid her hand up to his shoulder. Jack shuddered in his sleep. Lilith sat down on the bed beside him, and leaned down. Her hair swung forward and brushed against his shoulders and neck. Jack twitched. Lilith brought her face to his, and gently pressed her lips onto his.

Maybe Jack was dreaming about her, because, though he stayed asleep, he pressed against her, and wrapped his arms around her. Lilith smiled against his lips and pulled her lips away. Jack mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like "Come back." Lilith laughed softly, and then kissed him again.

"Wake up, darling," she whispered against his lips.

Jack's eyes shot open. He gaped at her. Lilith smiled, leaning back.

"What the hell?" he said, sitting up. "Am I dreaming again?"

"Nope," Lilith said.

"I have to be dreaming," Jack insisted. "You left."

She slid her hand from his shoulder to his chest, then to his back. "Does it feel like you're dreaming?"

Jack gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Then he pulled her roughly against him and kissed her. Lilith melted against him. Jack's tongue pressed against her lips, begging entrance. She opened her mouth obligingly, and her tongue shot out to meet his. Jack ran his hands along her back, moving from her shoulders to her waist to the small of her back. One hand strayed boldly down her leg, to rest at her knee. Jack's lips moved from hers to her neck, kissing her as he had done in the mirror, though on the opposite side. He pulled back, and he moved the hand at her knee to her cheek.

"Why didn't you show up?" he asked. "Why weren't you there the other night?"

"I wasn't able to come, I was stuck," she said. "My sister grounded me for going to see you, and I haven't been able to get past her enchantments before tonight."

"Your sister grounded you?"

"Yes. She's a watchdog. Strict, and all. But I slipped her a Sleeping Draught this evening because I had to come and see you."

Jack clenched his jaw, and then kissed her again. More softly this time.

"As long as you keep coming back," he murmured. He kissed her cheek, then her ear lobe, then trailed kisses down her neck to her collar bone.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, looking up. Lilith smiled.

"Could we go back to the Room of Requirement?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "But it would be so much easier to stay here," he said, pouting.

Lilith scowled.

"Or we could go to the Room of Requirement," he said. "Your way works too." Lilith smiled. She stood up, and Jack got out of bed. He grabbed his dressing gown and pulled it on, then slipped his wand into the pocket of his dressing gown.

"Let me grab something," he said. He then crossed the room over to the prefect's bed, and opened the prefect's trunk. Lilith's eyebrow rose in confusion. Jack rummaged in the trunk for a moment, and then pulled a scrap of parchment and a silvery cloak from it.

"One of the benefits of having Albus Potter as my best mate," he said, holding them up. He tucked the parchment into his pocket, and shook out the cloak. It fell in watery waves, hiding Jack's body. Literally, making him invisible.

Jack grinned. Then he threw the cloak over Lilith, and it enveloped her. It smelled faintly of boy, candle smoke, and stale tortilla chips. Lilith decided not to ask. Jack gestured for her to follow him, and they left the dorm room together. He led the way downstairs, and out of the common room. Once the portrait of the Fat Lady had shut, Jack pulled out the scrap of parchment and his wand.

"Lil, I need to get under the cloak," he said. Lilith lifted the hem, and Jack ducked under it. He grinned crookedly at her.

"Did I mention that I like what you're wearing?" he asked.

"You failed to," she said. Jack's grin widened.

"I like what you're wearing," he said, tapping her nose. Lilith smiled, her heart fluttering. Jack turned his eyes to the parchment in his hand. He tapped it with his wand, muttering as he did so, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Instantly, from the point his wand had left the paper, ink started spread across the page, twisting to form words.

"Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs proudly present the Marauders' Map," Lilith read aloud.

"It's brilliant," Jack said. "It's a map of Hogwarts, detailing every secret passage and every corridor." He unfolded it, and Lilith's jaw dropped. Little dots were moving across the paper, each labeled with a name. "See those?" Jack pointed to a dot near the center marked 'James Potter II.' "It shows everyone in the castle and the grounds, wherever they are."

"Wicked," Lilith muttered. Jack smirked.

"Al's granddad and his friends made it when they were at school," he said. "Moony is Remus Lupin, they called him that 'cause he's a werewolf." Lilith raised her eyebrows. "Oh, he was a nice guy," Jack said. "Taught Defense Against the Dark Arts years ago, in my dad's third year. And Padfoot's Sirius Black. Bet you've heard of him." Lilith nodded.

"He's that man who killed thirteen people with one curse, isn't he?"

"No, he was innocent. Wormtail- that's Peter Pettigrew- framed him. Blew up the whole street and turned into a rat to fake his death. They're all Animagi, see. Padfoot was a great big black dog, Wormtail a rat, and Prongs was a stag. Prongs is James Potter the first, see."

Lilith nodded. Jack looked at her apprehensively.

"What?"

"Well, normally whenever I say the word Potter, you flip out."

Lilith smiled. "I'm not going to flip out, okay?"

"Good," Jack said. He put his arm around her waist, and gave her a one armed hug. "Don't want you running off on me."

Jack, with his arm still around Lilith, led the way from Gryffindor Tower to the seventh floor corridor where the entrance to the Room of Requirement lay.

Once there, Jack ducked out from under the cloak to pace three times before the blank stretch of wall in front of the troll tapestry. One particularly ugly troll in an equally ugly pink tou-tou paused in his clubbing of Barnibus the Barmy to watch. The door to the Room appeared and Jack opened it. He gestured to Lilith to get in, looking at his map.

"Quick, Filch is coming!" he hissed. Lilith darted inside, pulling off the invisibility cloak as she went, Jack on her heels. He shut the door quickly. "That was close," he said.

Lilith nodded, turning to look at the room. Then back at Jack. He blushed scarlet. The exact color of the rose petals scattered around the room. The floor was white carpet, the walls dark brown. The room was small, but in the center, pushed up against the far wall, was a full size bed in a brass frame.

"The Room sometimes takes commands a little too seriously," Jack said. Lilith laughed. Jack closed his eyes; the rose petals vanished and the bed turned into a couch. "Better?" he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. Lilith shivered, though not from the cold. Jack's fingers slipped up the front of her shirt, and brushed the bare skin of her stomach. He bent his head and kissed the nape of her neck.

Lilith nodded.

"What do you want to talk about?" he whispered in her ear. Lilith moved his arms off her, and walked over to the couch. Jack followed her. She untied her cloak, cast it aside, and sat on the bed, kicked her shoes off, and held out her arms. Jack took her hands in his and sat down beside her. Lilith put her head on his shoulder.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

"Ditto," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He cupped her chin, tilted her face upward, and gently pressed his lips to hers. He smiled against her lips and leaned back. Lilith placed a palm on his cheek, and smiled back, glad to be in his arms again, after being cooped up in the Chamber for the past four days. The reason for her imprisonment floated into her mind, and Lilith suddenly grew angry

"I hate my sister!" Lilith burst out.

"I'm sure that's not true-"

"It is. She's evil. She's over controlling, mean, demanding! Everything!"

Jack sighed. "This is going nowhere."

"She's always tried to hide me, and the moment I get noticed, she looks me up in the Chamber!"

"Chamber?"

"Yeah," Lilith said. "We live in the Chamber of Secrets. Great place to raise a kid."

"Why do you live down there?"

"Cassandra says it's because our mother wanted to hide us from the Ministry. She wanted us to stay together, and if the Ministry got at Cassandra, they'd lock her up in Azkaban and put me in an orphanage."

"Cassandra?" Jack repeated, frowning. "The History of Magic teacher?"

"What?"

"Cassandra Gregory," Jack said. "Tall, black hair, mid forties, brown eyes."

"That's her, but-" Lilith stammered, "no, that can't be her. Her surname's Riddle, like mine."

"We all call her Professor Gregory," he said.

Lilith stood, her brow furrowed. "My sister teaches you History of Magic?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "Used to be some old ghost, but Professor McGonagall did away with him because the students' grades were horrible compared to Professor Gregory's students. She used to teach at Durmstrang. Lilith, are you all right?"

Lilith gulped; her eyes unfocused. "When's your next lesson with her?"

"First period, tomorrow," he replied. "Why?"

"I want to see this for myself," Lilith said. "Can I borrow that cloak?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he said. "I mean, it's not really mine, its Al's- hey!" Lilith had snatched up the cloak and her own, pulled her shoes back on, and run from the room. Jack tore after her.

"Come back!" he hissed. Lilith stopped at the end of the corridor.

"I have to do something. You go back to your dormitory, all right?"

"No, I'm coming with you," Jack said, striding down the hall to her side. Lilith bit her lip. "I insist," he added. Lilith thought it over, and then nodded. She spread the cloak over them, and led the way to the stairs.


End file.
